It's a long way from the Australian National University's leafy campus to cyclone-stricken Vanuatu, but that was where Bachelor of International Relations student Erin Corkill found herself in early 2015.
After spending a semester in Suva, Fiji, where she studied Politics, Sociology and Pacific Studies at the University of the South Pacific and interned with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Erin's New Colombo Plan experience took her to Port Vila in Vanuatu just as the country was struggling to cope with the devastation wreaked by the twin disasters of Cyclone Pam and the El Nino drought.
"My internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vanuatu was the most valuable professional experience of my life," says Erin. "I learnt more than I could have anticipated about contemporary issues in the Pacific, Vanuatu's engagements with regional organisations and development partners, and Australia's role in the region."
Supportive supervisors worked closely with Erin to help her make the most of her time at the Ministry. Despite her junior role, she was entrusted with important responsibilities including writing speeches for the Prime Minister of Vanuatu to present at international engagements and meetings with other heads of state. Erin was also given many opportunities to observe high-level meetings between her colleagues and representatives from partner countries and international organisations, including the World Bank and UN agencies.
"Through my internships I was able to see first-hand what Australia does in the Pacific and its role in regionalism," Erin says. "I got to sit in on bilateral talks between Australia and Vanuatu about issues as diverse as natural disaster response coordination, security cooperation, the Pacific Seasonal Workers Program and aid coordination."
"Because of the New Colombo Plan I have a much greater understanding of Australia's role in the Pacific and how I might be able to contribute in the future.
"I hope that in the future more students investigate what is possible through the New Colombo Plan and choose the Pacific islands as a host location for a hands-on experience that may not be possible anywhere else."
